(Hawaii)– Beginning this fall, Honoka’a High School will have access to Hawai’i Pacific University’s new, virtual college-credit program at no cost to participating students. HPU professors will use video technology to instruct Honoka’a students remotely from O’ahu.

“We are grateful to HPU for this partnership as it gives our students direct access to a post-secondary education pathway,” said Rachelle Matsumura, principal of Honoka’a High & Intermediate School. “Programs like this encourage our students to strive for their highest potential and provides a valuable head start on earning college credits that will potentially save them time and money.”

HPU classes at Honoka’a High School will be the first program of its kind for the private university, providing real-time, distance learning for high school students. To increase access and opportunities for Honoka’a students, HPU tuition has been waived so that the high school students can earn college credits and experience the university’s rich curriculum.

“HPU is deeply committed to educating our keiki o ka ‘ina, and we saw that we could help meet a critical need to provide students with easier access to higher education,” said John Gotanda, HPU president. “Bright, dedicated, and ambitious minds can be found all around the state of Hawai’i, and we are focused on reaching them with innovative programs that increase the speed and decrease the cost of obtaining a college education so they can get into the workforce earlier and with a higher earning capacity.”

The partnership highlights HPU’s expertise as the state leader in online education and expands its services to support public high school students. The university has been providing fully online degrees for students since 2004 and partnered with high schools since 1996 for high school students to earn college credit. In 2016, HPU became the first school in Hawai’i to be approved by a state agency to participate in NC-SARA, a national authorization program to reciprocate online education across state lines.